Roasted duck is easier — and more delicious — that you think

[...] — surprise! — duck fat, unlike beef fat and most kinds of poultry fat, boasts some of the same healthy attributes as olive oil.

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Heat the oven to 250 F. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the duck, pat dry and reserve.

Remove the excess fat from the cavity of the duck and cut off the flap of skin at the back end of the duck.

(You can save the skin and fat to render into duck fat for future use.) Rinse the duck under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast on the oven's middle shelf for 3 1/2 hours, removing the roasting pan after the first and second hour of roasting to re-prick the duck skin.

After the duck has roasted for 3 1/2 hours, carefully pour off all the fat at the bottom of the roasting pan (reserving it for other uses, such as sauteing potatoes), and increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Return the duck to the oven and roast it for 10 minutes.

Add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the celery, thyme, bay leaf, broth and 1 cup water.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface and adding water to the saucepan if the liquid dips below the bones, until the duck is ready to come out of the oven.

In the saucepan, bring the duck stock to a boil, add the flour mixture in a stream, whisking.

Nutrition information per serving: 980 calories; 670 calories from fat (68 percent of total calories); 75 g fat (25 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 210 mg cholesterol; 850 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 50 g protein.